It ’s Time to End Any Level of Federal Marijuana Prohibition
Trevor BurrusEither today or later this week, the House will likely take the historic step and actually hold a vote on whether to deschedule marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). In addition, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act would expunge low ‐level marijuana offenses and impose a 5 percent federal sales tax. The bill is unlikely to get past the Republican Senate, and there are many other proposals —some with the seeming support of President‐elect Biden—that wouldreschedule rather thandeschedule the plant. But descheduling —removing the drug from the ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - December 2, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Trevor Burrus Source Type: blogs
Drug Makers and Distributors Commandeered by Cops
Jeffrey A. SingerIn the latest episode of “Cops Practicing Medicine,” a floor vote is scheduled in the House of Representatives for H.R. 3878, sponsored by Rep. David McKinney, (R-WV). Under current law, drug makers and distributors are required to report to the Drug Enforcement Administration any suspicious orders for controlled substances. H.R. 3878 would also require them to perform “due diligence” on their suspicions, document and report their due diligence to the DEA, and refuse to fill the order if their suspicions are not resolved by the due diligence.This amounts to the DEA commandeering the drug maker...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - November 16, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
Opioid Policymakers Keep Tilting at Windmills, Striking Patients in the Process
Jeffrey A. SingerThe American Psychological Association Dictionary of Psychologydefines“denial” as “adefense mechanism in which unpleasant thoughts, feelings, wishes, or events are ignored or excluded from conscious awareness. It may take such forms as refusal to acknowledge the reality of a terminal illness, a financial problem, an addiction, or a partner ’s infidelity…”Many policymakers, including many in Congress, remain in a state of denial about the true cause of the overdose crisis:drug prohibition.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ’s October 4, 2020provisional report on...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - October 15, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
Not all new T-wave inversion signifies ischemia. Also, what is this irregular rhythm?
This ECG was texted to me with the question" Wellens ' ? "The computer read was: Atrial Fibrillation, marked ST Elevation. ***Acute MI***The QT interval is short (377 ms, QTc = 399 ms)This is NOT atrial fibrillation: There is sinus arrhythmia with an accelerated junctional rhythm that competes with the sinus node and results in some AV dissociation (no AV block!). This is completely benign.I responded: This STE with T-wave inversion looks like a normal variant for an African American. I would check the troponin, but I do not think it is pathologic.Here is the history: The patient was being ...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - October 9, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Steve Smith Source Type: blogs
On values, culture and health
This week is Te Wiki o te Maori – and the theme is Kia Kaha te Reo Maori. For those readers not familiar with te reo, kia kaha translates to “be strong.” It’s a word people from Otautahi (Christchurch) have used a lot since 2010 and the first of the many events that have shaken (literally) our world since then. Te Wiki o te Maori is a week dedicated to celebrating and strengthening the use of Maori language in New Zealand.
While the week celebrates the language of Aotearoa, it also helps us tangata tiriti, or people of the Treaty of Waitangi, remember that we have a place in this whenua (land). ...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - September 13, 2020 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: BronnieLennoxThompson Tags: Chronic pain Pain conditions Professional topics Research Resilience/Health Science in practice respect values Source Type: blogs
The AMA Opioid Task Force 2020 Report Should Come as No Surprise to Those Who Follow the Data
Jeffrey A. SingerThe American Medical Association recently released itOpioid Task Force 2020 Report. The Task Force found there was a 37.1 percent decrease in opioid prescriptions between 2014 and 2019; a 64.4 percent increase in the use of state prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) in the last year (739 million queries in 2019); and hundreds of thousands of physicians accessing continuing medical education courses on opioid prescribing (now mandatory in some states). However, the report states:Despite these efforts, illicitly manufactured fentanyl, fentanyl analogues and stimulants (e.g. methamphetamine...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - August 31, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
As the War on Drugs Relentlessly Grinds On, Overdose Deaths Relentlessly Mount
Jeffrey A. SingerWhen the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionannounced last January that drug overdoses in 2018 declined by 4.1 percent –from 70,237 in 2017 to 67,367 in 2018 –many in thepress took that as a sign of possible progress in America ’s longest war, the war on drugs. However, a deeper look at the data painted a very different picture.The CDC report stated:The age ‐adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone, which include drugs such as fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, and tramadol, increased from 0.3 per 100,000 standard popula...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - July 16, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
Will Isotonitazene Replace Fentanyl on the Black Market?
Jeffrey A. SingerWaging a war on drugs is like playing a game ofWhac ‐A‐Mole.In 2005 Congress addressed the “meth crisis” by passing theCombat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act that, among other things, made the popular decongestantSudafed,used by homegrown labs to make meth, a behind ‐the‐counter drug and restricted its sale to patients. It didn’t take long for Mexican drug cartels to fill the void created by the crackdown on domestic meth labs, and to findother and better ways to manufacture meth. Now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report methamphetamine ‐related d...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - July 10, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
The “Drug Czar” Says Overdose Deaths Were Already Rising Before Pandemic and Now Are Spiking—The Ultimate Blame Belongs to Prohibition
Jeffrey A. SingerWhite House “drug czar” Jim Carroll toldPolitico earlier this week that an Office of National Drug Control Policy analysis finds an 11.4 percent year ‐over‐year increase in opioid‐related overdose deaths during the first four months of 2020. Kentucky has seen a 25 percent increase in overdose deaths during the first four months of this year, and West Virginia saw a 50 percent increase in deaths since the beginning of the year. The data are incomplete at this point, and not all states have reported in.Mr. Carroll attributed much of the increase in the overdose rate to anxie...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - July 1, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
Bipolar & Substance Abuse Disorders: A Complex Diagnosis that Demands Integrated Medical & Psychological Care
The word “bipolar” has become colloquially associated with anything that changes rapidly or is unpredictable: the weather, technology, sports teams, politics, or even a teenager’s attitude. But for roughly 46 million people worldwide, being “bipolar” is far more serious than typical unpredictability, mood swings, or temperamental behavior. And, when bipolar disorder is complicated by substance use disorder (SUD), the situation can become incredibly dangerous for the individual and those around them.
Recognizing the symptoms of bipolar and the complicating factors of substance use disorder is crucial for physician...
Source: World of Psychology - March 30, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Marlon Rollins Tags: Addiction Alcoholism Bipolar Recovery Substance Abuse Addiction Recovery Bipolar Disorder Detox Dual Diagnosis World Bipolar Day Source Type: blogs
Methamphetamine (Meth): Just the Facts
Methamphetamine (meth) is a stimulant drug that can cause more serious problems than just "meth mouth". Read More » (Source: NIDA Drugs and Health Blog)
Source: NIDA Drugs and Health Blog - March 2, 2020 Category: Addiction Source Type: blogs
Five profound ways physical exercise shapes your brain and mind
We’ve all heard that exercise is good for us—how it strengthens our hearts and lungs, and helps us prevent diseases like diabetes. That’s why so many of us like to make New Year’s resolutions to move more, knowing it will make us healthier and live longer.
But many people don’t know about the other important benefits of exercise—how it can help us find happiness, hope, connection, and courage.
Around the world, people who are physically active are happier and more satisfied with their lives. They have a stronger sense of purpose and experience more gratitude, love, and hope. They feel more connected to their co...
Source: SharpBrains - January 6, 2020 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Greater Good Science Center Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Education & Lifelong Learning Health & Wellness brain exercise Joy mind movement neurobiological neurochemistry neurological Physical-Exercise proprioception resilient well-being Source Type: blogs
How to Ask Your Doctor About Addiction Treatment
Learning more information about the addiction treatment process can be difficult if you do not know where to start looking. One of the many places individuals may begin their search is with their primary care provider, which makes it important to know how to ask your doctor about addiction treatment.
There are many reasons an individual may seek addiction treatment advice from their doctor, including:
The doctor is prescribing medications that they believe they have become addicted to
The individual is suffering from a condition that they believe their addiction is worsening or impacting
The individual doesn’t have any...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - December 11, 2019 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Addiction Recovery Addiction Treatment and Program Resources doctor doctors treatment center treatment facilities treatment facility treatment options treatment programs Source Type: blogs
Evidence Pours More Cold Water on The False Narrative That Prescriptions Caused the Opioid Crisis
Jeffrey A. SingerA new study reported in the November 1, 2019Annals of Emergency Medicine pours more cold water on the false but persistent narrative that the opioid overdose crisis was caused by doctors prescribing opioids to patients in pain.This prospective cohort study by researchers in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine followed 484 “opioid naïve” patients prescribed opioids for acute pain upon release from the emergency department during a six month period. The statewide prescription drug monitoring program was employed in addition to regular follow up telephone inter...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - November 20, 2019 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
Bringing Drug Use Out of the Shadows Reduces Harm to the Community as Well as to Users
Jeffrey A. SingerMany critics of marijuana legalization raise concerns that marijuana dispensaries might serve as loci for increased local criminal activity. Now there is empirical evidence that just the opposite occurs.A new study reported in the September issue of Regional Science and Urban Economics examined local crime rate data from 2013 through 2016 in Denver, Colorado, where legal cannabis sales to adults began in 2014. The researchers reported:The results imply that an additional dispensary in a neighborhood leads to a reduction of 17 crimes per month per 10,000 residents, which corresponds to roughly a 19 per...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - September 19, 2019 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
